2021 Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship
Recipient | Lorena Ukanwa
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The Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship program has officially determined this year’s recipient! Dr. Kezian and his team of colleagues would like to thank each and every individual who applied for the scholarship. A big congratulation goes out to all the students this year for their continuous hard work, even when the world was going through a pandemic. The entire staff admires the drive and the motivation they see through these scholarship applications and they urge everyone to keep that motivation going strong! A special congratulation goes out to Lorena Ukanwa as she is this year’s finalist!
Lorena has had a passion for becoming a doctor since she was eight years old! Her inspiration sparks from a visit she had made to her aunt in New Mexico. Her aunt was Lorena’s first encounter with a Black, female doctor. Lorena saw how much her aunt changed and bettered the lives of all her patients, and she, being a woman of mixed Black and Latina heritage herself, loved the thought of being able to do the same some day. She understands the importance of representation in the healthcare system, and her main drive for becoming a doctor is based off her passion and commitment towards serving others and helping others. Her main career goal is to become a psychiatrist and work in the mental health field, primarily focusing on helping a diverse patient population. She also feels deeply motivated to improve the mental and behavioral health outcomes for disadvantaged communities.
Lorena Ukanwa is currently studying at the University at Buffalo in New York. She is enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program, which she will be completing on May 15th, this year. Prior to this program, she had received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Pre-medicine from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Upon completion of her program, Lorena will attend the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry for the fall term of 2021.
Lorena will be continuing her education in psychiatry when she attends the University of Rochester. She knows that her work will be difficult, but, she is confident that with her optimistic attitude, her determination, and her resilience, she will overcome the challenges that she knows she will face as a medical student as well as a practicing physician.
Lorena knows how important medical health is, and she herself has overcome some mental health obstacles. With the personal experience as well as the knowledge she has gained, she understands how mental health can completely change an individual’s life. She is aware that mental health issues can affect the ways in which an individual thinks, behaves, and relates to others. Because she has always aspired to help diverse populations and underserved areas, the thought of providing mental health practices to everyone in need excites her and motivates her into become the physician she has always dreamt of being. In her response to her scholarship application, Lorena wrote, “one of my main career objectives as a psychiatrist is to practice medicine in an underserved area where health disparities amongst minority populations persist. One reason for these disparities is that mental and behavioral health services are largely inaccessible to minority groups. Secondly, there is an overall lack of knowledge regarding the available treatment options. Lastly, the public stigma attached to mental illness remains a pervasive barrier that prevents many patients from seeking treatment for their individual health needs.” Lorena strives to improve the mental health field in general, but most importantly, for those who do not have access to or information about proper mental health. She hopes that people start to seek mental health treatment just as they would seek help from a doctor for a physical illness. Mental health is just as important as your physical well being; and mental health could actually impact your physical well being if not addressed.
Lorena has proved to the Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Scholarship foundation that she is truly deserving of the award. Her humble nature, her desire to help so many different people with different backgrounds, and her mindfulness towards cultural differences is remarkable. Apart from her mindset, she is also extremely hard working. She has managed to keep a 4.0 G.P.A. at the University at Buffalo. She was able to keep up with her studies during the pandemic we were all facing. It is hard enough to maintain an excellent grade point average, but even more difficult to do it during such difficult times. We admire her work ethic and are very proud of all her accomplishments thus far.
Lorena has also had her fair share of work related experience in the medical field. She has worked at the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care. At this center, Lorena compiled research to create trauma-informed guides for trainings and webinars. She then worked at a clinic (Planned Parenthood Mar Monte) as a primary care coordinator. She managed family medicine referrals and coordinated patient care between outside specialists and the clinic itself. She gained knowledge in case management skills and even spent extra time training two primary care coordinators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lorena has also spent some time working as an intern at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California. Here, she engaged in culturally sensitive medical practices that were geared toward helping vulnerable populations as well as low-income Hispanic communities. Her work experience throughout the years has taught her so much about the medical field and has allowed her to have a more hands-on approach with her career goals.
Lorena has also been involved in clubs and athletic programs. During her time at Amherst College, Lorena engaged in weekly dialogues that promoted diversity in the college’s athletics. She controlled a pre-health peer mentoring program as well in which she mentored three first year women of color as they pursued a career in the health professions. Dr. Arthur A. Kezian found it soadmirable that while Lorena was a student herself working towards her profession in health care, she still put extra time and efforts into helping other students who were also striving to reach their health professions. She is truly a team player but also has the makings of a leader, and that alone is something to applaud.
Lorena was very appreciative and humbled to be the recipient of the Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship for the 2020-2021 school year. When she was asked about her thoughts on the award, she replied with the following:
“Navigating higher education during a global pandemic has given me ample time to reflect upon the type of physician that I strive to be for my future patients. I am extremely honored and grateful to have been chosen for this year’s Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS Science Scholarship. I look forward to beginning my first year of medical school this Fall and cultivating new relationships with my classmates and professors.”
To see Lorena’s video submission for his application, please click the following link:
Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS and his staff would like to, once again, congratulate Lorena Ukanwa on all of her accomplishments. They are very proud of her and everything she has done thus far. The team is excited to see what comes next for Lorena. They know she will shine just as she has up until this point. They are rooting for her and hope that her path is a smooth one as she enters the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry this coming fall! The team thanks Lorena for applying to the scholarship and hopes they can help her towards her dream goal with the financial assistance the scholarship award provides.
For those of you who might be hearing about the program for the first time, it is a scholarship opportunity provided to students pursuing an education in the field of science. The program allows high school and college students the opportunity to be awarded $1,200 to use toward their financial expenses. Dr. Arthur A. Kezian himself first brought the idea for this program to light, four years ago. Since then, Dr. Kezian has run the scholarship every year, and every year he has helped an aspiring student get a little closer to their dream goal with some financial assistance.
For everyone interested in a scholarship opportunity, Dr. Arthur A. Kezian will soon re-open the scholarship applications for the new school year. To get further information about the applications and what the program entails, please visit Dr. Kezian’s scholarship page on his website.
Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS is a dental office located in the heart of Larchmont Village in Hollywood. Dr. Kezian and his staff work at the dental office completing numerous procedures for their amazing patients. Dr. Kezian continues to undergo advanced and expert training and has earned close to 5000 credit hours in numerous specialties. He focuses on almost all aspects of dentistry including general and cosmetic dentistry, implant dentistry, emergency dentistry, root canal therapy, pain management, periodontics, removable prosthetics, porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, teeth re contouring, white fillings, gum surgery, dental extractions, wisdom teeth extractions, TMJ disorder, and much more.
If you would like to schedule an appointment to get any of the aforementioned procedures, please feel free to contact the office by calling (323) 467-2777. You can also make an appointment by using their convenient online scheduling system.
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Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS
443 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 467-2777
www.drkezian.com
